EVALUATION OF COCONUT CULTIVARS FOR TENDER NUT WATER

Tender nut water is a most nutritious wholesome beverage and this pleasant fluid is capturing the minds of the young generation. More and more people are distancing themselves away from artificial drinks and opting for natural drinks. Considering the importance of tender nut, the experiment was conducted at HRS, Mondouri, BCKV, W.B. for two consecutive years (2003-2005), to identify suitable cultivars. Ten cultivars namely ‘B.S. Island’, ‘East Coast Tall’, ‘FMS Big’, ‘Gonthembilli’, ‘Hazari’, ‘Jamaican Tall’, ‘Java’, ‘San Ramon’, ‘St. Vincent’ and ‘Zanzibar’ were studied. The nuts at four stages of maturity (5th, 6th, 7th and 8th months after inflorescence emergence) were evaluated. The highest volume of water (268.0 ml) with highest reducing sugar (4.26 g/100 ml) and potassium (353.90 mg/ 100 ml) concentrations and least acidity were observed at the 7th month stage but highest pH, TSS, total sugar, non-reducing sugar, nitrogen and phosphorus were all observed at the 8th month of maturity. The cultivars ‘Jamaican Tall’, ‘East Coast Tall’ and ‘Zanzibar’ were found to have appreciable amounts of water, sugar and minerals at 7 months. These three cultivars, therefore, may be recommended for cultivation as tender nuts and should be harvested at 7 months to obtain the highest nutritional benefits.